A-Series in FR. Suggestions?

[Julian Grimm]

So I have decided to run a modified A-Series set in the Silver Marches. My initial idea is to set it either near the Moonwood or the Cold Vale. I am really leaning toward Quaervarr being the center point of the first part of the series and moving the rest to areas around the Marches. I am going to start with The Rising Knight and move through the series as far as I can get.

Of course the direction the campaign goes will depend on player decision and I will be adding in things from the first time I attempted to run the series. I am trying to keep it more free form in nature with the modules being used as guidelines only. I may even be redrawing some of the dungeon maps.

First, does anyone have suggestions on what Realms material to include in the campaign to make it more of a FR campaign rather than an Aihrde campaign? Second, do you think the Shade would make an appropriate antagonist for the campaign?

[Rigon]

It would depend on what your "era" of FR is. When I run FR, I do not include the Time of Troubles in my campaigns or anything from 3rd edition FR. I'm strictly a grey box kind guy. But as a general inclusion, you would need to have a list of deities, maybe some regionally important individuals, and some of the FR groups (Harpers, Zhentarium, etc). As for the Shade, I don't know enough about them to say one way or the other.

R-

[Julian Grimm]

Due to the fact that my older FR stuff is not getting any younger I am using my 3.X stuff as a baseline. Of course I have altered a few things: The Time of Troubles unfolded differently, The Harpers and Zhentarim exist only around the Dales and Moonsea (Replaced by the Moonstars and Iron Throne respectively), Mithiril Hall was not retaken by Bruenor and company and a few other things.

One thing to note is that I am keeping the major NPC's in the background so that the focus will be on the players. While they may make an appearance they are also changed from their baseline form to be less powerful. While I don't mind these characters, I do feel they are overused in many products and campaigns and want to make sure that they do not overshadow the group.

[Rigon]

I agree with you on the npcs and very rarely do I incorporate them into my campaigns other than being famous personages. So it sounds like you have a good handle on things, I would just make sure to emphasize the FR-ness of the setting when you run it.

R-

[Dracyian]

Thought I would throw this in here from the other side of the keeper screens to list how, IMO, Seskis expertly crafted the huge people from Greyhawk into excellent campaign additions:

When Seskis ran our Greyhawk campaign he did include some of the bigger NPCs such as Mordenkainen, Otto, Seskis, Zagyg and I'm sure I am forgetting one or two.

The way he did was by making them (Otto) proveyers of quests for the party to take up when they wanted a break from the main story line and then plot pushers (Mordenkainen and Seskis). Mordenkainen later turned into a possible antagonist. But these were used sparringly to push the plot and I think they way he Mordenkainen to continue us down the main plot line was excellent.

I will say this, they showed up once in a great while and they were normally protrayed as having retired from adventuring to pursue other interests, Otto had became an extordinary Cheif, Mordenkainen had his Obsidian Citadel where he watched and only interferred when he felt the balance was truly in danger. So they were ever present in the setting with their previous adventures things of legend and lore but rarely intertwining themselves with the campaign and I think that is one of the reasons that campaign had such a good greyhawk feel to it.

[Treebore]

Having played high level PC's before, yeah, the high level luminaries have far more important things to be doing than pay attention to low levels, until they start getting close to being as powerful as the NPC in question is. Even then it will depend on how much time they actually spend on their home world, versus being elsewhere preventing demonic invasions and such.